Hometown tourist: Exploring Bellevue

May 4, 2013

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Bellevue: 'A Little Mayberry': In Hometown Tourist, we visit Greater Cincinnati neighborhoods that are ripe with places to eat, shop and have fun. In this installment, we spent an afternoon in Bellevue.

Ball Embroidery and Gifts, Home Style and The Cozy Cottage are three of the shops along Bellevue's Fairfield Avenue. / The Enquirer / Shauna Steigerwald

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In this new series, we visit Greater Cincinnati neighborhoods that are ripe with great places to shop, eat and have fun. This is the first installment.

Just across the river from Downtown Cincinnati, Kentucky Route 8 enters Bellevue and becomes Fairfield Avenue, a historic shopping district that’s a paradigm of downtown revitalization.

Joanna Maehren, chair of Bellevue Renaissance, has seen “The Avenue” go from 70 percent vacancies to zero in the nearly 10 years she’s owned her business, The Bellevue Beadery, there.

“You have a whole day of shopping (here),” she said. “There are so many shops that are so unusual; it’s just a great place to visit.”

During a stroll along Fairfield Avenue on an April day, I found a host of independent stores run by friendly shop owners with an obvious passion for the neighborhood they serve.

“We work as a community down here,” said Rick Clayton, owner of the Purple Monkey Gift Shop. “If we don’t have something, we refer (visitors) to another store. We work together ... No one’s competing.”

Browsing the shops, you’ll find everything from jewelry to antiques to novelty items, all at reasonable prices: More than one shop owner mentioned that keeping prices lower helps their inventory turn over faster, so there’s always something new to find.

Plus, there are plenty of places to eat. That’s how I started my day.

The Elusive Cow Cafe:

I arrived in Bellevue at lunchtime, so finding something good to eat was my first priority. I decided to check out The Elusive Cow Cafe, a newer addition on the eastern edge of Bellevue’s Fairfield Avenue business district. Owner Jim Fisher opened the restaurant, which focuses on local, sustainable cuisine, in late November in the former Skinny Legs space.

It’s certainly an appealing space: The bar/dining area that guests first enter, and the one in which I was seated, has soaring tin ceilings, cheery yellow walls and lots of wood – on the floor, walls and bar top. Large windows let in plenty of light from the avenue.

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On the menu are burgers, salads, sandwiches and the like, with lots of vegetarian options. I ordered the falafel pita: Three large, deliciously crispy-yet-moist falafel patties on a pita topped with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and, less expected, pickles, artichoke hearts and black olives, served with hummus and tzatziki. The latter, thick and creamy with chunks of cucumber, was so good that I asked for extra to use as dip for the tasty, hand-cut fries I’d chosen as my side. And the sandwich itself was huge; I boxed up half. My bill: $9.81.

With a nice beer and wine list, The Elusive Cow also would be a good place to end the day.

Thyme Square:

Heading west on Fairfield Avenue, I popped in Thyme Square, where owners Danny and Donna Wight stock 65 teas and 110 spices, sold in 1/2- and one-ounce bags. They also bottle their own barbecue sauce and sell hot teas and coffee, plus floats, smoothies and iced coffee.

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 421 Fairfield Ave. 859-261-4650

Fabulous Finds for Less:

A resale shop stocking new and gently used men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and accessories, plus some home items, Fabulous Finds for Less strives to keep prices low, according to Deb Pittman, who owns the shop with Sandra Burch. For example, scarves – the shop’s biggest seller – go for $12 or less.

On my visit, the shop was spotlighting a colorful collection of Derby hats by Lady Linda Crawford.

11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 401 Fairfield Ave.; 859-291-7900

The Bellevue Beadery:

Strings of beads in every imaginable hue line the walls of Joanna Maehren‘s shop, The Bellevue Beadery. In business for almost 10 years, the shop also carries some ready-to-wear jewelry and offers free beading classes.

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On my visit, Maehren was working on something that I’d never seen: Gorgeous brooch bouquets. Comprised entirely of sparkling brooches, she had been commissioned to make them for a local bride and her flower girls.

The Cozy Cottage:

The fragrance of Frankfurt-made Candleberry candles greets shoppers as they enter The Cozy Cottage, where handcrafts, many by local crafters and with a country/folk art feel, are the focus. Owner Beth Wiedeman herself makes clothes that fit American Girl dolls, the shop’s best sellers, plus reusable gift bags and hand towels. In total, the shop carries work by about 50 crafters; their wares include University of Kentucky trees and ornaments, locally handmade signs, dip mixes from Columbus, infinity scarves made out of old silk ties by a Fort Thomas crafter, and more.

Ball Embroidery & Gifts:

Baby gifts, backpacks, duffel bags and other goods on display at Ball Embroidery and Gifts can all be custom embroidered. Open in Bellevue since 2000 (though it was in another location down the street for a while), the shop will also embroider things that customers bring in.

Avenue Brew:

Owners Christine and Larry Brondhaver strive to make their Avenue Brew a place that “feels like home,” Christine said. The eclectic coffee shop and restaurant serves paninis, burgers, homemade soups, baked goods (including some giant, tempting-looking muffins) and breakfast all day. There’s a beer bar, and an outdoor patio will reopen around Memorial Day.

I ordered a medium Linsey’s Smore Coffee, which was just the ticket for a still-chilly, early spring day. Listed as a “customer favorite” on the colorful menu board, its chocolate, vanilla, toasted marshmallow and caramel flavors give it the taste of a hot chocolate/latte hybrid. My bill: $5.01.

Splendid Things:

Jewelry, clothing, accessories and whatever else owner Crystal Thompson thinks is splendid fill her shop, Splendid Things, where she brings in new items “almost every day.”

On my visit, I spied a big rhinestone horse bracelet that would make a bling-y Derby accessory; a row of colorful beaded caterpillar bracelets (fair trade items from Guatemala); and Italian-designed jackets. Oh, and there’s what Thompson calls “the happy necklace”: made from multicolored glass beads, it’s her best-selling item after more than seven years in business. She even has husbands in search of a gift for their wives come and ask for it by its nickname, she said.

Bella on the Avenue:

Bella on the Avenue carries women’s clothes, shoes and handbags on consignment, plus some new accessories, including scarves and jewelry. Owner Beverly Nelson said she tends toward higher-end brands, such as Ann Taylor, J. Crew, Banana Republic and White House | Black Market, and charges 65-70 percent off retail prices, with new items arriving daily.

Purple Monkey Gift Shop:

Fans of Metronation, which moved from Mount Lookout to the Gateway Quarter before closing its doors, will feel right at home in the Purple Monkey Gift Shop: Owner Rick Clayton was Metronation’s original owner. He stocks similar items at Purple Monkey: recycled and fair-trade products, wooden printed signs, modern jewelry and novelty items.

“People come and say they love all the laughs they have while they’re in here,” he said.

Interior Visions:

From a happy moss wire grasshopper to a pair of kitschy-cute glazed stoneware cat planters on a swing, Interior Visions is packed with whimsical decorative items, both new and vintage, architectural salvage items and more, all geared toward garden enthusiasts and nature lovers. It would be a great place to snag an out-of-the-ordinary Mother’s Day gift, as I did -- vintage glazed stoneware cat planters.

Schneider's Sweet Shop:

In business since 1939, venerable Schneider’s has the feel of an old-time treat shop. Specializing in homemade ice creams and candies, they’re known for their ever-popular opera creams. On a hot summer day, stop in for an ice ball: flavored shaved ice with ice cream at the center.

Bellevue Beach Park:

After a long day of shopping and eating your way down Fairfield Avenue, head north to Bellevue Beach Park. Located at the end of Ward Avenue on the Ohio River, it offers great views of Downtown Cincinnati; basketball hoops and play equipment for the kiddos; and benches for watching the river drift by.

Shop late on first Fridays: On the first Friday of each month, Bellevue Renaissance sponsors Shop Bellevue! Shops and restaurants along Fairfield Avenue stay open late and offer themed activities and specials. Visit www.shopbellevueky.com for more information.

More places to visit: This tour of Bellevue is by no means exhaustive; a few shops were closed the day I visited, and there are plenty of other places to eat: Everything from pizza to Thai to high tea can be found along Fairfield Avenue. Check out www.shopbellevueky.com for a full list of Bellevue merchants. Or, better yet, walk around and see for yourself.